Thill-coupling.



o@ mm WML n n 5,1.. W a. nm. ad. v WJ. o. v Nm u, .n.2 m W Vof the anti-rattling type and has as its p ymay be conveniently til WILLIAM A. BUCHANAN, 0F ASI-IEVILLE, NORTH CAROLINA.

THILL-CO'UPLING.

1385x652.Y y

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that L'Wnmmia: A. BU- CHANAN, a citizen siding at Asheville, in the county of Buncombe and State of North Carolina, have invented certain new and useful Improvements f in Thill-Couplings, of which the following is a specification. Y y

This invention relates to thill lcouplings riinary object to provide a thill coupling of this class which opened and closed to permit of the connection and disconnection of the thill and which when in use will be entirely noiseless and in no way likely tobecoiiie accidentally unlocked or released. v

Another aim of the invention is to so construct the thill coupling that wear of the ball and socket a long period of use the coupling will still be noiseless while driving.l t

Another object of the invention is to 'so construct thethill coupling that the same applied to an axle, the nuts uponthe attaching clip being so positioiied as to be readily accessible.Y

`The invention aims further to sov construct the thill coupling that even should the parts f thereof become greatly worn, they will still snugly t one another so as to provide against rattling. I Y Y Another object of the invention is to so construct the coupling that the use of bushings. will be entirely obviated. Y

In the accompanying, drawings: Figure 1 is a perspective-*view of the thill coup ing embodying the present invention ;Y Fig. 2 is a sideelevation thereof, the coupling being, shown closed; Y Y F ig. 3. is a vertical front to rear sectional view through the coupling in closed condition' v Fig. 4 is a group perspective view illustrating the several parts'of the coupling disassembled; f

YF ig. 5 is a view the ball and socket'fmembers-'thereof 'have f become greatly worn. Y

In the drawings, the numeral 1 indicates the axle of a vehicle and the numeral 2 one of the tliills thereof. The coupling embodying the invention comprises an axle membery anda thill member and the said axle memof the United States, re-V they diliculty will be experienced' in applying may be quickly and readily members thereof will Y be u Vplmg, as will automatically taken up so thateven after socket being, furthermore, of a depth nearly of the ball member so similar to Fig. 2 but illus-V trating the condition'of the coupling after Specification of Letters Patent. vPateIitdN 01V. 5, 1918. Application led September 19, 191'?.` Serial No. 192,168. l l

Y ber includes an attaching plate 3 which is disposed against the under side of they axle 1 and is secured in Vplace by means of'aii axle embracing clip 4 the arms of .which extenddownwardly through the said plate 3 and-,have tted thereto bolts 5 which bear against .the under side of the plate to secure As will be presently f the same in place. pointed. out the nuts will be readily 5 are so located that accessible so that no and removing the axle member of the coufoiined with a head flat and vis indicated a by the numeral 7. This face of the head is formed with a socket 8, the bottom portion of which issubstantially semi-spherical so as to receive the ball memberl of the coube presently explained, the

equal to the diameter that the said Amember will be practically completely housed within 'the said socket. The ball element above referredto comprises a part of the thill memberof the coupling and this member consists of-aV thill iron 9,-

which is securedto the under side ofthe thill 2 and whichat its rear orilowerend is provided with spaced arms '10 supporting between them the said ball comprisesv a spherical head ametrically opposite. sides of the head 'and are integral therewith and united 'to the ends ofthe armslO. As stated,

element' which 1l and short trunnion portions 12 whichl extend from di-- pling. At its forward endY the plate 3 is Y the ball element llis seated within the socket 8 formed inthe Y upper side of the `head 6 accommodate the trunnions the head 6 are formed with lower `portions ,of which are and inorder tov '12, the sides `of' notches 13, thei substantially semi-circular, the said walls ofthe notches Y being inclined upwardly and rearwardly, as indicatedby the numeral 14 for a purpose to be presently explained.

It will be. ap-V parent byreferenceto'the drawings that the notches are deeperV than the truiinion por tions 12 so ythat these portions are securely seated within the notcheswhen the two mem bers ofthe coupling are properly assembled. 1

In order to Vclose the socket Y8 and retain the ball element therein, cap plate, indicated by the numeral 15, the cap plate being lprovided at its forward end with a pintlelug 16 which seats between pintle ears-17 which project upwardlyfromf there is provided. av i the tace l of the head o in spaced relation to each other. a pivot pin 1S being fitted through. the said ears and the lng 1G. The plato in its under side is formed with a socket 19 which is ot' spherical contour but which is much shallower than the socket 8 and by reference to Fig. 23 ot the drawings it 'will be understood. that when the cap plate 15 is closed the wall ot the socket 19 will bear against the upper side olf the ball elcment 11 thus holding the ball element lirmly seated within the socket S and closing the said socket. ln order that the notches 1B may be closed, thel under side of the cap plate 15 is formed at the opposite sides of the socket 19 with depending lugs fO, the lower edges or sides oil which are curved on the are ot a circle, as indicated ov the numeral 21. By reference to Fig. 3 of the drawings it will be understood that when the plate 15 .is closed the lugs 2O will seat within the upper open ends oi' the notches 1?). lt will be understood, ot course, that the curved under sides or edges 21 ot the lugs 2O coact with the semi-circular bottoirl portions of the notches 13 to torni bearings Jfor the trunnion portions 1:2, in the same manner that the socket 19 coaets witl the socket S to torni a bearing for the ball element 11. 1n its upper tace the plate 15 is formed at itsI tree end with a transversely extending groove 22, the purpose ot which will be presently explained, and directly below this groove and upon its under tace the plate 15 is formed with a transverse lip 23, the forward tace of which is beveled, as indicated by the numeral 24. Normally, the beveled surface of the lip 23 is spaced above an inclined surface or wall 25 located at the rear of the head 6. However, as the ball and socket members become wor i the beveled surface '2e is designed to come i contact with the inclined face 25, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawings, in a wedging manner so that as downward pressure is eX- erted upon the free end oit the cap plate 15, a slight rearward pull will also be exerted upon the pivot pin 1S, thereby7 so binding the parts as to prevent rattling ot the said plate and at the same time relieving` the pivot pin of considerable strain. 1t will also be observed that the bevel of the surface 24 is greater than the inclination ot the wall or tace 25.

The numeral 2G indicates in general a bail comprising spaced sides 27, a Connecting top portion 28, and a connecting lower portion 29. r1`he portion 28 is designed to seat within the transverse groove 2'2 in the manner clearly shown in Fig, 8 oit the drawings and means is connected with the bottom portion Q9 of the bail to exert a downward pull upon the bail to firmly hold the cap plate 15 in closed position. The side portions 27 of the bail extend downwardly beside the lateral firmly holding the cap plate 15 in races of the head 6 and upon the bottom portion 29 ot the said bail is a ringer lever 30, the lever being provided at. its piroted end with spaced upsta-nding lugs 31 connected by a transverse pirotally mounted pin 32. This pin passes through a pintle eye 38 iorined at the end of one arm Se of a bowed leaf spring, the other arm of which spring is indicated by the numeral 35. The arin of the spring is disposed against the under ,tace et the plate 3 and is secured in place by means ot the nut 5 upon the forward arm ot the clip d, there being sufficient space between the arms :3land or' the spring to permit of the ready insertion of a wrench in applying the same to the said nut. lt will now be understood that when the finger lever 30 is manipulated to swing the saine to the position shown in lligs. 1, L) and. 3 of the drawings, the upper side or' the lever at its tree end will rest against the under side oit the arm ot the spring and as the pin 32 has, in such manipulation of the lever` been moved forwardly beyond a vertical line passing through the pin 29, the parts will remain in this position. lilith the parts in this position the spring exerts a downward pull upon the bail 26, thereby closed position, the downward pressure exerted by the plate upon the ball element 11. serving to rmly seat the ball element within the socket 8 although the thill may have pivotal movement. @t course, when the finger lever 30 is swung downwardly, the lever 30 will pivot upon the pin 32, thereby permitting of the bail 26 being raised so as to clear the cap plate 15 and permit of the said plate being swung upwardly to provide for disengagement of the ball element 11 from the socket 8.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. In a thill coupling, a member formed with a head, the rear side of which is upwardly and forwardly inclined, the said head in its upper side being formed with a seat located forwardly of the said inclined surtace of the head, a cap plate pivotally connected at its forward end with the forward end of the head and provided. in its under side with a seat opposing the seat inthe upper tace of the head, the said cap plate being formed upon. its under side at its rear end with a transversely extending lip, the forward tace of which is beveled, the said for ward face of the lip being located immediately rearwardly of and inclined at a dif ferent angle from the angle of inclination of the said rear side of the head, athill iron having an element fitting in the seats and retained in place by the said cap plate, and a locking means tor the said cap plate including a spring actuated element which engages the upper side of the cap plate and forces the same in the direction of the said head wherebyy when lost motion occurs at the is thrown toward the flat surface of the head Y pivot for the plate, the spring pressure will to form a substantially spherical socket for force the beveled lip into contact with the a thill iron, the semi-spherical depression in inclined rear side of the head to take up the head being of greater depth than the desaid lost motion and prevent rattling. pression in the flat jaw, the :fiat jaw having 30 g 2. In a thill coupling, the combination of slde lugs adjacent the semi-spherical ,de-Y a late formed with an enlarged head propression,the lugs having curved depressions vi ed with a flat upper surface in vwhich is in their underside, saidV lugs tting in and formed a substantially centrally disposed forming with the notches in the' head bear-l senii-spherical depression forming the major ings, a spring actuated loop engaging in the 35 I portion of a thill socket, the head having transverse groove in the top of the lip of notches in the side walls opening through the flat jaw to normally draw said jaw tothe fiat surface thereof and vwhich commuward the flat surface of the head, and a thill nicate with the semi-spherical depression, the iron provided with a spherical head and rear portion of said head forming a shoul- 'lateral reduced trunnions, the sherical head 4,0v v

der, a substantially fiat jaw hinged tothe fitting inthe socket formed y the semi- A'forward top portion of the head'and prospherical depressions in the enlarged head vided with a rear depending lip which co` and Hat jaw, the major portion of the said operates with the shoulder on the head, the spherical head being below the horizontal upper surface of the lip having a transverse plane of the fiat surface of the enlarged head, 45

groove inside the plane of the shoulder, the and the lateral trunnions ttin in the Vbearunderside of the the dependfiat Jaw having a substanings formed by the notches an tially centrally disposed semi-Spherical deing lugs. pression which registers with the semi-spher- In testimony whereof I afix mysignature. ical depression in the head when the Hat jaw WILLIAM A. BUCHANAN. [L. s.] Copies o1' this patent may be obtained for five centseach, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents,

` Washington, D. C. 

